Posts Tagged ‘men’

Deep V-necks, scoop-neck tops, and V-shaped blazers was one of the strongest menswear trends, during New York’s September Fashion Week. Celebrities such as Jude Law, Ed Westwick and HBO’s True Blood star, Mehcad Brooks have all sported their “Heavage” recently. So what is this new men’s fashion phenomenon?

NY-based Menswear designer, Miguel Antoinne, included this trend in his Spring 2010 collection, sending models down the runway sporting the look. Miguel predicted this would be a huge fashion trend and this shape featured heavily in his collection. Miguel explained to Marvelous Girl more about the trend:

MG: WHAT exactly is heavage?
MA: The male equivalent to cleavage.

MG: WHY such a big comeback?
MA: The trend has been around for a few seasons now beginning with the now thank-goodness, extinct deep V-tshirt.

MG: WHO will be sporting this trend next season?MA: The sexy, the proud, the confident…these leading men of style will have taken the trend to the next phase of its cycle.

MG: HOW should men wear this look – blazers, v-neck, low scoop t-shirts?
MA: It is a versatile look that men should have fun with. There is the flexibility of dressing the look up or down while still baring the fur and feeling sexy. Fit really is going to be the most important relative to this look next season. The fit should be loosely draped as if effortless. The fitted, deep-V was always a NO.

MG: And How much hair should men dare to bare?
MA: Men should bare as much of their man fur as their inhibition allows them to. Obviously more or less works with different outfits. Buzz works better with more dressy looks where as one might be able to pull off a bush with a t-shirt.

The miguel Antoinne collection is a favorite among celebrities and has been worn by American Idol finalists, singer Trey Songz, Marlon Wayans and Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood). As a former menswear buyer, trendsetter and up-and-coming designer, Miguel Antoinne is the perfect gateway in to men’s fashion trends.

The holidays can be a stressful time, and giving the current economic climate, the nation will likely be getting less sleep this season as they worry about finances, according to Sleepbetter.org. The company released a Holiday Slumber Index with some interesting findings:

Losing Sleep Over the Holidays?

44% of parents say they are worried about affording the holidays this year

35% of all Americans are worried about affording the holidays (16% much more/19% somewhat more)

Hispanics are more worried about affording the holidays this year – 46% (vs. 35% for the general population

Women (21%) are more likely than men (13%) to say they lose sleep in the run-up to Christmas.

The Night Before Gifting, All Were Not Sleeping…

66% of parents will get six or fewer hours of sleep the night before gift-giving

17% of parents get less than five hours of sleep the night before

And on the flip side – three in ten (30%) parents receive 7 to 8 hours of sleep, while few (4%) slumber for more than 8 hours the night before gift-giving

49% of the entire population gets less than 6 hours of sleep the night before gift-giving

Two in ten (19%) parents say that their children get 6 hours or less of sleep that night. 44% of parents say their children get 7 to 8 hours of sleep, and 34% get 9 or more hours the night before gifts.

This was a national telephone survey (1001 respondents) conducted by IPSOS and commissioned by Sleepbetter.org.

Often the “business” of a relationship (who’s picking up the kids, what’s there to eat for dinner, how are we doing on our family budget?) can get in the way of the closeness that’s necessary in a marriage. “The intimacy can diminish from a couple’s love-life: not that they love each other any less, but that closeness, that feeling of true connection can fade. What usually happens next? Women complain about their plight but men leave,” says Dr. Noelle Nelson, relationship expert and author of Your Man is Wonderful.

“Men don’t necessarily leave physically,” notes Nelson, “but whereas women speak up loudly in relationships about what’s bothering them, men respond more often than not by simply leaving. First emotionally, then mentally, lastly physically.”

Nelson believes men are trained by our culture and society not to whine or complain, but to be stoic and put up with hardship. “They bring that attitude into their relationships as well,” says Nelson. “Which is why a wife is often surprised to find her mate has strayed. She assumed that since he wasn’t complaining, all was well.”

Nelson offers these suggestions to couples who want to keep (or rekindle) the closeness they felt when they were first married:

Pay as much attention to the connection side of your relationship as you do to the business side.

Openly express your appreciation to your mate every day, let him or her know how valuable they are–to you, to your family, to the world.

Purposefully join in those activities your spouse enjoys, be that the ballgame on Sunday afternoon, her new interest in tennis, or his fascination with a new software program.

If you can’t join in, be supportive, interested and enthusiastic.

Be engaged in his or her work, show interest in what makes up your spouse’s day, and engage your spouse in yours.

“Connection is automatic when we first fall in love,” says Nelson, “but it must be nurtured if it is to be maintained, and lovingly tended so you remain close, not apart, as the years go by.”

Despite the economic downturn and retail sales plummeting, this Father ’s Day it looks like dads are going from handyman to dandyman, as sales of pampering services and related products are expected to increase 35.7 percent, according to industry research firm IBISWorld.

Although pampering services only accounts for a small portion of total Father’s Day spending on the nation’s 66.3 million dads as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, pampering is emerging as this holiday’s fastest growing gift category with consumers expected to spend $190 million compared to $140 million in 2008.

“Traditional Father’s Day gifts, such as tools and electronics are declining this year while spa services, personal care products, and greeting cards are increasing,” explained Toon van Beeck, senior analyst with IBISWorld. “It seems that ‘New Age’ dads are this year’s fad.” Mr. van Beeck added, “According the U.S. Census Bureau, there are an estimated 66.3 million fathers in the nation today which demonstrates the impact spending on Father’s Day has on the U.S. economy.”

Marvelous Girl recently caught up with relationship, sex and addiction expert Anna David, to discuss her upcoming novel Bought, a tale of high-class prostitution in Hollywood. Anna is a regular contributor to Details Magazine; has appeared as a relationship and sex expert for CNN, The Today Show and many other broadcast outlets; and has written for The New York Times, Maxim, Playboy, and more.

MG:Your latest novel, Bought, is a story about high-class call girls among the Hollywood elite. What was the inspiration for this book?

AD:Years ago, I wrote an article on high-class prostitution in Hollywood for Details. I had anticipated interviewing people over a few weeks and gathering some anecdotes, but I ended up spending about six months obsessively infiltrating that universe, getting to know the girls as well as the detectives, FBI informants and other denizens of the underworld. I was always disappointed that the article ended up being this 2000-word story that essentially just relayed how rich men got their rocks off and didn’t get into the dynamics behind any of it. So I decided to fictionalize what I’d learned and incorporate in aspects of some of the dysfunctional relationships I’ve been in to tell a story about how much we all sell ourselves to get what we want.

MG: From your experience, is society’s perception of women, sex and prostitution changing? If so, what conclusions can be drawn about modern day gender relations?

AD: I think when Paris Hilton became the most famous person in the world by starring in a sex tape, a societal shift occurred and suddenly being in the sex industry – or doing anything associated with it — not only seemed glamorous but also had the potential to make you famous. Case in point: post Spitzer bust, Ashlee Dupree got a record deal and started attending fashion shows. What all of this does, of course, is sweep under the rug the fact that some of the girls engaging in this kind of thing are acting out after having been abused and are seriously screwed up.

MG: In Bought and your previous novel, Party Girl, you explore the ramifications of trying to live a “celebrity lifestyle.” Do you think this lack of self and obsession with Hollywood glamour is a growing societal trend, particularly in women?

AD:Yes, it definitely is. In his book Fame Junkies, Jake Halpern cites studies showing that shocking numbers of teenagers these days list being famous as a career goal or rate being able to meet a Hollywood celebrity higher than being able to meet any political or world figure. And I know that, especially when I was a practicing addict, I was oh so drawn to the celebrity world. It was just another way to get out of having to feel my most upsetting feelings – focusing on how cool I thought I was because I knew celebrities rather than how empty I felt. I’m so grateful that I burned out on that, but there are people I know who are still so wrapped up in that world, not realizing that it doesn’t really have anything to do with them or that worshipping at the altar of celebrity is actually stripping them of some of their humanity.

MG: What advice would you give to these women?

AD:I’d say, look at a lot of these celebrities’ lives – the minute-long marriages, the disasters, and the breakdowns, all of it — and ask yourself if you really want to be living that way. And look at your own life. Are you using your fascination with celebrity-dom as a way to not have to focus on what’s going on with you?

MG: Are there any other trends you’re noticing involving women?

AD:Well, there’s the whole hook-up thing. Supposedly, high school and college students today are having sex with random people instead of going on dates and embarking on relationships. And, look. I can count on one hand the number of women I know who can have random sex and not feel like crap about it. It makes me feel about 180 years old to say this but if girls feel like that’s what they have to do to be able to be romantically involved with boys, that’s pretty scary. I’m certainly not suggesting anything nutty like abstinence pledges but I think they should still feel comfortable explaining to boys if they want something more substantial.